


Where We Belong

by macye71



Category: Chicago PD, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Burzek, Chicago PD - Freeform, One Chicago - Freeform, Upstead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26031805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macye71/pseuds/macye71
Summary: What if Kim hadn’t lost the baby?
Relationships: Adam Ruzek & Kim Burgess, Hailey Upton/Jay Halstead, Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Kim Burgess/Adam Ruzek
Comments: 23
Kudos: 83





	1. 12 Weeks

**Author's Note:**

> This is the way I wish Chicago PD season 7 episode 13 had ended. The rest of the story will be about the events that take place across the course of Kim’s pregnancy & childbirth.

The ambulance ride was the longest seven minutes of Kim and Adam’s entire life. Kim was curled in a ball on the stretcher, crying. One hand was on her stomach, the other gripping onto Adam’s arm for dear life. This was all her fault. Why didn’t she wait the extra three minutes for back up? 

Adam choked back his own tears, focused on being strong for Kim. Why couldn’t he have gotten to the motel sooner? He could have saved her. He could have saved the baby. He placed his free hand on her stomach, right under her hand. Would he ever get to feel her growing bump? Feel his baby kick for the first time?

Everything felt like a blur when they got to Chicago Med. Doctors and nurses were rushing Kim into a trauma room, hooking up an IV to her hand, checking her heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure. An Obstetrician rushed in the room, with a nurse on her heels, pulling a large machine. 

“I’m Dr. Tara Bailey. We’re going to check on the baby. You’re how far along?” The OB’s words were rushed as she pushed Kim’s shirt up and squirted gel on her stomach. 

Kim reached for Adam’s hand. She knew what would happen when she got an ultrasound. They were going to give her the worst possible news. They were going to tell her that she killed her baby. 

“She’s twelve weeks.” Adam replied, grabbing Kim’s hand. “Twelve weeks and four days. Right?” 

“Yeah.” Kim sniffled. She turned her head away from the screen and squeezed her eyes shut as the ultrasound probe was pressed to her stomach. Dr. Bailey moved the probe to the right, then to the left.

_ Bump-bump-bump-bump.  _

The OB‘s nurse let out a soft gasp. Kim’s eyes popped open, and she whipped her head around to look at the screen. Adam’s grip tightened against her hand. Everything suddenly felt like a dream and the doctor seemed to be speaking in slow motion. 

“Your baby has a steady heartbeat and looks healthy.” She continued to run the probe over her stomach, double and triple checking the heartbeat and the baby’s movements. She shook her head like she was unable to process what she was seeing in front of her. “Perfectly healthy. The baby is safe and sound in there.” 

Kim looked up at Adam, his face filled with surprise and relief. He looked down at her and broke into a smile. That smile made everything feel real to her, and she burst into tears. She couldn’t believe what was happening. A few minutes ago she was grieving over her baby. Now she could rejoice. Tidal waves of different emotions were crashing into her all at once. 

Adam immediately bent down to embrace her, kissing her on the top of her head over and over. 

“You’re okay,” he whispered as he rubbed her back. “The baby is okay. You’re both safe.” 

Kim cried into the side of his neck. “I’m so sorry.” She finally managed to say.

“What?” Adam pulled back and locked eyes with her. 

“I should have waited for backup. I almost killed-“ 

“Hey, don’t do that.” Adam grabbed her shaking hands to steady them. “All that matters is that you and the baby are healthy.” 

Kim wanted to argue, but she didn’t have the energy. Plus, Adam was right. As long as her baby is healthy, she was happy. 

“Okay.” She nodded, but she couldn’t stop crying. Adam hugged her again, trying to hold her steady from the sobs shaking her body. 

A few minutes later she let out a ragged breath and sniffled, all out of tears and starting to feel better. Adam leaned back, but kept his hands on her arms, like somehow she would fall apart if he let go. “Okay?” He asked, his eyes on hers. 

Kim took a deep breath and nodded. She suddenly realized that they were in an empty room. “Where did the doctor go?”

Adam looked around, then grabbed a note from Kim’s bedside table. 

“She said she’ll be back. Wanted to give us some time alone.”  
  


Dr. Bailey and her nurse came back thirty minutes later to do another ultrasound and draw some blood. 

Kim felt like a kid on Christmas morning when she saw her baby move on the ultrasound screen. 

“Wow.” Adam breathed as they listened to the heart beat again. 

Kim couldn’t help but smile as she watched his face light up at the sight of the baby. She held her hand out and felt him slip his fingers into hers. She almost felt overwhelmed at how lucky she was that her baby was her okay.

“Again, everything looks perfect. Baby is healthy as can be.” Dr. Bailey smiled at the parents-to-be. 

“When can I go home?” Kim asked.

“As long as everything looks normal from your blood draw, tomorrow morning. I’ll be back in an hour with your results and we can chat about your pregnancy going forward.” 

•••

Kim held the ultrasound photos the doctor had printed out for her. She still couldn’t believe what she was looking at. 

“Everyone’s waiting for an update.” Adam held up his phone, showing Kim a text from Jay. 

Kim realized their team had been worried about them, sitting in the waiting area for quite a while now.She wanted to share the good news. “Tell them to come in here.” 

Voight, Hailey, Jay, Kevin, and Vanessa quietly filed into Kim’s hospital room. Hailey looked like she had been crying, a red rim around her bloodshot eyes. Jay’s arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulder.

Kim smiled at the team, grateful to be sharing the good news with the people that were like family to her. She held up the ultrasound photos. “The baby is perfect. Healthy as can be.” 

Everyone’s faces filled with shock, but their surprise quickly turned into happiness. Hugs were exchanged all around. They took turns looking at the ultrasound photos and talked amongst themselves for a few minutes until Voight suggested they give Kim and Adam some space. 

“Let’s go on a coffee and dinner run. Adam, Kim, text Kevin what you want.”

“Thanks, Sarge.” Adam nodded, grateful to have so much support. 

“I’ll catch up in a minute.” Hailey said, taking a seat on the end of Kim’s bed. 

“Want me to wait with you?” Jay asked. 

Hailey nodded. “Thanks.” 

“Are you okay?” Kim placed the ultrasound photos on the table next to her and turned her attention to Hailey. 

“I’m fine, I’m just happy you’re okay. When I ran into that bathroom and saw you...” Hailey shook her head, looking down when her eyes started to water. “I thought-“

“I know.” Kim stopped her, reaching for her hand. 

“I just wanted to say to you and Adam that I’m so, so sorry I wasn’t there sooner.” Hailey took turns looking at both of them, guilt etched deep into her expression. 

“You don’t have to apologize.” Kim felt bad that Hailey was partially blaming herself for what happened and what could have happened. “You got there as fast as you could and I should have waited for backup.” 

“No.” Hailey disagreed. “You saved Emma’s life.”

“No one lost a life today,” Jay chimed in, stepping forward and placing a hand on Hailey’s back. “That’s what matters.” 

Kim raised her eyebrow at Hailey, who dodged the silent question and looked off to the side. 

“You both did your job to the best of your abilities like always.” Adam added, his eye drifting down to Jay’s hand on Hailey. He shot a glance at Jay, who shook his head, indicating he would talk to him later. 

“If you need anything tonight call us.” Hailey offered. 

“Us?” Kim mouthed to her.

“Excuse me?” Dr. Bailey knocked on the door softly. All four of them turned their attention to the doctor. “I don’t mean to interrupt but I have your lab results.” 

“We’ll see you guys in a little while with dinner.” Hailey gave Kim a hug before getting up to leave. 

“I think I just want to have dinner with Adam tonight. I’m pretty tired. Will you tell everyone for me?” Kim asked. She wasn’t in the mood for extra company tonight, although she was grateful for the offer. 

“Of course. Goodnight, guys.” Hailey and Jay said goodbye and made their way out of the room together.

“So your lab results.” Dr. Bailey continued, tapping on the screen of an iPad. “Everything looks great, but your vitamin D is a little low. That has nothing to do with what happened earlier, but I’m going to call in a D3 supplement to your pharmacy.” 

Kim looked up at Adam and smiled. He grabbed her hand and gently squeezed. 

“Just as a precaution, you’ll be on bed rest for the next two weeks,” Dr. Bailey continued. “You can return to work after, but you need to be on light duty until you go on maternity leave or go into labor, whichever happens first.” 

Kim nodded. Earlier that day she was considering not going on light duty until she was around the halfway point in her pregnancy, but now she was more than happy to oblige to the doctors’ orders. She was going to do anything to protect her baby. 

“While you’re on bed rest you should truly be resting. Avoid things like deep cleaning, heavy lifting, working out, and any type of sexual activity.” 

Kim felt her cheeks flush and kept her face turned away from Adam. She wasn’t sure why she felt weird. She’d been with Adam plenty of times and was more than comfortable with him, but at the same time they hadn’t slept together since she found out she was pregnant. They hadn’t even talked about what they were going to do in regards to their relationship. 

“Last thing before I leave you two alone,” Dr. Bailey interrupted her thoughts. “We know the sex of the baby from the blood draw. Would you like to know? I have the results in this envelope.” Dr. Bailey held a small white envelope in front of her. 

“Yes.” Adam said at the same time as Kim said “No.” 

They both looked at each other, eyebrows raised. 

“I’ll leave this here and let you two discuss.” Dr. Bailey placed the envelope by the sink and left the room, shutting the door behind her. 

“You don’t want to find out?” Adam sounded slightly disappointed.

“I think it would be fun to wait until the baby is born.” Kim shrugged. 

“How are we going to do the nursery?” Adam challenged her, trying to find a way out of this. 

Kim was prepared. “The baby will be next to me in a bassinet for months. We can do the nursery after they’re born.” 

“What about clothes? How will we know what to buy?” 

“We can buy a few newborn outfits and go on a big shopping trip after the baby is born. They don’t care what they wear, you know.” 

“How will we decide on a name?” Adam was running out of excuses. 

“We’ll pick a few for a boy and a few for a girl. Then we decide after the baby is born.” A playful smile tugged at her lips. “What else ya got?” 

“I don’t have the patience to wait that long,” Adam groaned. 

“I’m sure you’ll find a way.” 

A nurse came in to check if Kim needed anything. She requested water and for the envelope to be taken out of the room and thrown away. 

“Fine.” Adam surrendered, holding his hands up. “You win. After everything you’ve been through it’s only fair that you decide this.” 

“It will be worth the wait.” Kim reassured him, resting her hand on her stomach. She didn’t care whether she had a boy or a girl, and she knew Adam didn’t either. They would be happy either way and love the baby unconditionally. Plus, keeping the sex a surprise would make labor a little less daunting and give them one more surprise to look forward to. 

•••

Adam reluctantly left Kim for a few minutes to get their dinner at the hospital cafeteria. He didn’t want to leave her side. He felt like he needed to be there for her every second to protect her and the baby. But during the elevator ride downstairs, he realized a minute alone was much needed. He stopped to sit in the dining area and collect his thoughts. Today had been a whirlwind of emotions and he hadn’t had time to process them. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the booth. He was instantly met with flashbacks of Kim crying in the motel bathtub for him. The look on her face and the pain in her voice had broken his heart. He shook his head to make those thoughts go away. Thankfully Kim would be stuck at a desk when she went back to work, so no danger would come her way. She could focus on staying healthy and well rested for the remainder of her pregnancy.  
  
•••

Kim and Adam decided to watch a movie after dinner. It was getting late and there wasn’t much else to do anyways. 

“What do you want to watch?” Adam asked as he scrolled through the limited options on the television screen. 

“Grown ups!” Kim stopped him as the movie flashed across the screen. 

“Seriously?” Adam chuckled. 

“I love this movie and I want to watch something happy.” Kim insisted. 

Adam pressed play, dimmed the lights and sat down in the chair next to Kim’s bed. 

“You can sit up here with me.” Kim offered, a shyness in her voice, her eyes fixed on the screen. 

Adam hesitated, but then agreed. What did he have to lose? He slid into the space next to Kim and instinctively put his arm around her. She rested her head on his chest and draped her arm across his stomach. They stayed just like that for the rest of the movie.  
  


“I should go home so you can get some sleep.” Adam whispered as the end credits rolled across the screen. 

As much as Kim wanted him to stay the night with her at the hospital, she knew they both needed rest. She couldn’t ask him to sleep in a stiff hospital chair all night, and asking him to sleep in the bed with her might be a little too much. 

“Promise you’ll be back in the morning?” Kim whispered back.

“I promise.” Adam lightly kissed the top of her head. 

She lifted herself off of his chest and turned to look at him, their faces only a few inches apart.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Adam gave into the urge to kiss her. The soft, gentle kiss was immediately returned by Kim. They pulled back, gazing at each other for a moment. Kim smiled first, causing Adam to smile back, and lean in for another kiss. It just felt right. 

•••

Adam was back at the hospital bright and early the next morning to help Kim get home. She was avoiding his glance while she listened to the nurse go over her bed rest instructions.

“Hey.” Adam nodded at her, finally getting some eye contact after the nurse left. He didn’t like where this was going. 

“Hi.” She smiled weakly at him. 

“Kim-“

“Look, I don’t want to talk about it.” She interrupted Adam, not wanting to give him the chance to bring up their kiss last night. “I was emotional, we were emotional. I just want to focus on the baby.” 

Adam held back a frustrated sigh. “I understand.” But he didn’t. Sure, emotions were running high, but that didn’t mean the kiss wasn’t deeper than that. It was deeper than that for him, at least.

•••  
  
Adam pushed Kim out to the front of the hospital in a wheelchair where his car was waiting outside. He helped her into the passenger seat, letting her take all the time she needed. She was even more sore today from the beating she took at the motel. He caught a glimpse of the excessive bruises on her stomach during the ultrasound yesterday. They would be even darker and more painful for the next few days. 

“So I guess you can just move in when I’m off of bed rest so I can help you.” Kim suggested after a few minutes of awkward silence. 

“The team is already waiting at your - _our -_ place with the moving truck. We loaded everything this morning.”

“Really?” Kim smiled, starting to feel less awkward. 

“Of course. I don’t want you to be alone right now. And you’re not lifting anything heavier than five pounds for the rest of your pregnancy.” 

“Come on, Adam.” Kim rolled her eyes. 

“You think I’m kidding?” Adam chuckled. “Watch.” 

Kim laughed, but she knew he wasn’t kidding at all. 

•••

“Took you long enough to get here!” Kevin waved at them from the Uhaul. “You thought we’d have all of the moving done for you by now, huh?” 

“I was hoping.” Adam joked, opening the passenger door for Kim. She put his arm around his shoulders as he helped lift her out of the car. “I’m going to help Kim inside and I’ll be right out.” 

Jay opened the back of the truck for Voight, Kevin, Hailey, and Vanessa, who were all ready to help. 

Kim’s love seat was replaced with a new sectional couch Adam bought. They brought that in first so Kim would have somewhere comfortable to lay down without being isolated in her bedroom.

“Do not move.” Adam instructed, a serious look on his face. “I mean it. If you need something, ask anyone here.”

“Okay.” Kim couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.” 

“Anything for you, Kim.” Adam’s look faded into something softer. 

Kim glanced down, suddenly feeling awkward again, and cleared her throat. “Can I have a blanket?” The front door was propped open since people were coming in and out with boxes, and it was getting cold fast. 

Adam peeled his eyes away from her to go into her bedroom. He paused for a second to look around. He hadn’t been in her room in a few months. Everything still looked the same. Light grey walls, a queen sized bed with a white comforter and a mountain of pillows. A collage of picture frames with photos of friends, family, and their team. A small vanity across from the bed filled with perfume, lotion, makeup and - something that caught his eye. Semi-hidden behind a perfume bottle was a wallet size photo of Kim and Adam. They had taken it years ago, the night after they had gotten engaged. They were in Kim’s bed, leaning back against the pillows. Adam was shirtless and so was Kim, but she had her chest covered with a blanket. They were both smiling wide. They looked like they were glowing, they had been so happy. That night felt like a lifetime ago. 

“Here you go.” Adam draped a soft blanket across Kim. “Better?” 

“Perfect. Thanks.” She smiled up at him, then went back to the book she was reading. What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Adam figured that book didn’t account for the events that happened at the motel last night, or what to do if you’re not even dating the person you’re having a baby with. 

“This bed frame isn’t going to move itself!” Jay called out. 

“Sorry, I’m here.” Adam quickly joined the team at the Uhaul truck. “Thank you for doing this.” 

“Of course, man.” Jay nodded at him.

“Anything to help out Kim and the baby.” Hailey added, standing especially close to Jay. 

•••

Kim and Adam ordered take out for dinner that evening and ate on the couch while watching something on the history channel. Adam wasn’t paying attention. He was more interested in watching Kim watch the show. Not in a creepy way, he just liked to see her relaxed. She had just gotten out of the bath and she looked extra beautiful tonight. He wanted to tell her, but he also wanted to respect her wishes. She just wanted to focus on the baby right now. Maybe they would talk about the kiss or their feelings sometime in the future. Hopefully the near future. But for the next few months, Adam vowed to be there for her as a friend. A friend who was also the father of her baby. This might be complicated. 

Kim could feel Adam’s eyes on her as she tried to focus on the tv in front of her. She felt bad that she shut him down this morning and refused to talk about this kiss. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it or want to do it again, but she wanted to make sure she was in the right place for a relationship again. She was bringing a baby into the world in six months. She didn’t want her child to see their parents have an on and off relationship. They were either going to be completely on, or completely off. She just needed some time to figure things out. Kim told herself to see how she felt in a few months. Then they could have a discussion about their relationship status, whatever that may be. For now they were just going to be friends. Friends who were having a baby together. That wouldn’t get complicated at all. 


	2. 18 Weeks

_“Your baby is the size of a sweet potato!” _

Kim sent the 18 week update from her pregnancy app to Adam’s phone. Every Friday morning, when she turned over a new week in her pregnancy, she would show Adam the weekly update. It was almost midnight now so he probably wouldn’t see the text until he woke up, but she forgot to send it earlier. To her surprise, Adam immediately texted back a smiley face. 

She put her phone on the nightstand beside her, and closed her eyes. Over the past few weeks she had been dealing with some insomnia. Some nights she slept eight hours with no problems, other nights she was lucky to get maybe thirty minutes of rest. 

Just as she started to drift off to sleep, a small movement startled her awake. Her eyes popped open, but she kept her body still. Was that what she thought it was? She gasped quietly when she felt it again, then two more times after that. 

“Adam?” She yelled. No answer. “Adam!”

“What’s wrong?” Adam shoved her bedroom door open, and turned the light on, his eyes were filled with fear. “Are you okay?” 

“I just felt the baby move.” Kim’s eyes welled up with tears as she dropped her hand to her stomach. 

Adam let out a deep breath of relief. “So you’re okay?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” Kim cleared her throat. “Sorry I scared you.” 

“It’s alright.” Adam sat next to her on the bed. “You really felt the baby?” He rested a hand on her stomach. She didn’t have a visible bump yet. Sometimes at the end of the day, especially after a big dinner, she could kind of see something, but it really just looked like bloat. 

“It was tiny, like barely there. But I felt it.” Kim couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. 

“Why are you crying?” Adam rested his hand on the side of her face and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. Kim felt herself melt under his touch. She diverted her eyes down and tried to tell herself she was just emotional right now. She wasn’t thinking logically. 

“Hormones I guess.” Kim laughed weakly. “Feeling the baby move just made this pregnancy even more real.”

She looked up, and met Adam’s eyes. Shoot. She recognized that look on his face very well. His head ever so slightly turned to the side, his eyes studying her face intently. 

He leaned in and started to kiss her. As much as she wanted to continue the kiss and maybe take it further, she pulled away. 

“I can’t-I-we shouldn’t.” She stuttered. 

“Why?” Adam didn’t sound frustrated, even though she expected him to be. He just sounded unsure. 

“I told you we’re either going to raise this baby as friends, or as a couple. We aren’t in the right head space to make that decision now.”

“What is the right head space, Kim? Because what I want will never change.”

“How do you know that?” Kim sighed and swung her legs over the side of the bed, facing the window. She didn’t know the answer to his question. Was there ever really a perfect time to make a big decision like getting back together? 

Adam didn’t even hesitate to answer. “Because I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

“I’m just scared to get hurt again.” Kim’s voice was quiet.

“The last thing I want to do is hurt you.” Kim saw Adam’s hand reach over to grab hers out of the corner of her eye, but he pulled it back at the last second. 

“I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” Adam’s voice had a hint of defeat in it, but he tried to mask it. 

Kim tucked herself back under the covers, and instantly regretted looking at Adam. She hated seeing him upset. “Goodnight.”

Adam gave her a sad smile and shut her bedroom door.  


•••

Kim had a dentist appointment the next morning. Since she was late for work anyways, she decided to stop for breakfast on the way. She pulled into one of her favorite local bakeries and waited in line for a muffin... or two. She was encouraged to eat a little extra now that she was pregnant. Okay fine, she would get three, but one for Adam. She felt bad that they didn’t get to talk this morning after what happened between them last night. She hoped this small gesture would start them off on the right foot today. 

“Hi, good morning.” Kim greeted Irene, who was the owner, standing behind the counter. “I’ll take one blueberry muffin, one chocolate-“ 

“Hands up!” The bakery door flew open, slamming into the wall, quieting everyone in the restaurant. “Hands up! Slowly back up and get out! Everyone out!”

Two boys who barely looked seventeen were pointing their guns at Irene, then at the customers, then back at Irene.

Kim complied, putting her hands up in the air, slowly backing away towards the exit. Before she could even think about the fact that she was pregnant and she needed to get out to protect the baby, her cop instincts kicked in. She helped usher everyone through the door. The women and children first, then the men. The two boys were so focused on getting the cash from the register behind the counter that they had stopped paying attention to the customers. Kim looked at Irene, the sweetest old lady she’d ever met, crying and trembling at gun point. This was her chance to run or her chance to do what she knew she needed to do.

Kim slowly reached for the gun in the back of her waistband and raised it. 

“Chicago PD. Drop your weapons now.” 

The boys jumped, turning their attention to Kim, guns pointed at her. Two against one was never promising. 

“You should have left when you had the chance.” The boy who Kim assumed to be in charge took another step towards her, his eyes narrow and soulless. 

She didn’t want to do what she was about to, but she didn’t have a choice. 

“Don’t take another step! Drop-“

Kim’s weapon let out a single bullet as the boy started to charge towards her. He fell to the ground with a thud. Kim turned her gun to the other boy, but he was already on his knees, his hands held high, gun dropped by his side.

“You killed him!” His lower lip quivered. “You killed my brother!” 

•••

Adam checked the time on his computer and groaned. Kim’s dentist appointment should have been well over by now and he hadn’t heard from her yet. She was supposed to come to work right after. 

“5021 Eddie,” Kim’s voice came over the radio. “We have an attempted robbery at 1383 Archer Avenue, one suspect down, one in custody.” 

Adam jumped up from his desk, grabbing his things and preparing to run full speed to his car. 

“Ride with me.” Jay offered, already a few steps ahead of him. 

Adam nervously tapped his leg the whole way there. He couldn’t help but feel the familiar waves of panic that he felt during the drive to the motel almost 6 weeks ago. He heard Kim’s voice over the radio a few minutes ago so he knew she was okay, but he couldn’t talk himself down from the anxiety he felt. 

“Go faster.” Adam ordered for the third time since they got in the car. 

“Relax.” Jay told him also for the third time since they got in the car. 

Finally, Adam caught sight of the bakery. Before the car slowed to a stop, Adam threw the door open and bolted out, despite Jay’s protests. He flashed his badge at one of the uniformed officers outside who started to yell at him for entering a crime scene. Kim was making her way to the entrance just as Adam pushed the doors open. 

“Kim!” He stopped himself short of knocking her over, and wrapped her in a hug. “You’re okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Kim whispered, hugging his torso tightly.

He could tell she was shaken up, despite saying she was okay. 

“Here, come sit down.” Adam pulled a chair out for her and knelt on the ground in front of her. “You’re shaking.” He grabbed her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. Kim was usually the one who was more easily shaken up after a case, but he hadn’t seen her this bad in a long time. 

“I just- the baby. It all happened so fast. I didn’t want to hurt the baby.” Kim said softly, her eyes cast down. 

“It’s okay.” Adam reassured her. “I’ll get the paramedics to check you out.”

Kim and Adam sat in the back of the ambulance while Sylvie checked Kim over, and double-checked the baby’s heart beat. 

“Heart beat is perfect. For both of you.” Sylvie smiled at Kim. “Do you want to go to med just for peace of mind?” 

“No, I’m okay. Thank you.” Kim answered.

Adam stood by Kim’s side while she gave her statement to Voight. 

“They ordered all of the customers to leave the bakery, so I helped get everyone out. Then I announced myself, told them to drop their weapon-“

Adam bit his lip, forcing himself to stay quiet until Kim was finished. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Voight gave her shoulder a squeeze after she finished her statement. “Thanks, Burgess. Great work today. Take the rest of the day off, okay? That’s an order. Adam, take her home.” 

“Okay, Sarge.” Kim nodded. “Thank you.”

Adam barely waited for Voight to be out of earshot before he started talking. 

“Did I just hear you right? You _chose_ to stay in there, outnumbered by two people with guns?”

“What?” Kim wrinkled her eyebrows, clearly confused by his sudden change in tone. 

“You had a chance to leave. Why didn’t you?” 

“I _chose_ to do my duty as a police officer and save the woman behind the counter and stop a robbery, possible murder.”

“Kim, you’re pregnant!” 

“I-“

“Hey!” Jay walked up to them and got in between them, breaking up the fight. Their voices had quickly risen, but they hadn’t noticed. “Take this somewhere else.” 

“We’re fine.” Adam snapped. 

“People are starting to stare.” Jay nodded his head towards onlookers. “Take Kim home.” 

  
Adam opened the passenger door for Kim, despite still being obviously angry, but Kim slammed it shut before he could also do that for her.

“I don’t get why you would stay in there.” Adam climbed into the driver‘s seat. 

“I was doing what I’m supposed to do.” Kim didn’t feel like arguing anymore, the sharpnessgone from her voice.

“Did you not think about keeping yourself safe? Keeping the baby safe?” 

Without time to stop herself, she started crying. Stupid pregnancy hormones. Everything made her cry these days. She wanted to leave while she had the chance, but it was her job to stop things like that. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself knowing she ran out to leave an old woman to fend for herself.

“Kim,” Adam softened just voice. “Don’t cry.” He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away. 

“I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m sorry.”

Kim stared out the window. She had nothing else to say to him.

When Adam pulled up to their apartment, she got out of the car as quickly as she could. 

“Let me walk you inside.” Adam offered, stepping out of the car. 

“No.” Kim didn’t mean for her voice to sound that harsh, but she just wanted to be alone. 

Adam sighed, giving up. “Okay. I’ll see you later tonight.” 

•••

Around 8 o’clock that night, Kim heard Adam’s key in the door. She ran into her room, still not in the mood to talk. 

“Kim?” He called out. “I’m home. I brought dinner.”

When she heard Adam go into his bedroom, she grabbed the food he brought for her, and went back into her room to hideout for the night. 

Adam came out of his bedroom after he changed into more comfortable clothes. He noticed half of the food he brought home was missing, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He pictured Kim sneaking out of her room to grab the food, and running back in as fast as she could. 

•••  
  
Adam woke up early the next morning to get coffee and donuts. He waited by the kitchen counter with the peace offering until Kim came out of her room, ready to go to work. 

“Hi.” Kim’s eyes looked slightly red. Either she had been crying, she hadn’t slept last night, or both. 

“I’m sorry.” Adam wasted no time pulling her into a gentle hug, instantly feeling better once she was in his arms. 

“Me too.” Kim hugged him back, tightening her grip when Adam started to let go. 

“You don’t need to be sorry, you saved that woman’s life.”

“But the baby-“ Kim sniffled. 

Adam pulled back so he could get eye level with her. “Our baby is fine. You did the right thing.” 

•••

_”Our_ _baby_ _is fine.”_ Kim played his words over and over in her head. _Our_ baby. That was the first time either of them had referred to the baby like that. As theirs. 

Kim looked over at Adam as he drove them to work. When he stopped at a red light, he turned to look at her and smiled. 

Uh oh. That smile was her weakness. The smile that made her fall for him right when she met him. The smile that made her feel better when she was upset. The smile that gave her that familiar feeling in her stomach, and it wasn’t the baby moving. She couldn’t deny it anymore. She was in love with Adam. That smile just had to make her realize it.

•••

Kim had eaten lunch an hour ago, but she was already getting hungry again. The further along she got in her pregnancy, the more often she needed to eat. She made her way down to the lockers to grab a protein bar from her bag. She heard voices coming from the inside, so she quietly opened the doors, not wanting to interrupt anyone.

She saw Hailey leaning against a locker talking to someone. One step further, and she saw Jay hovering over her, one arm resting against the lockers. Kim’s mouth fell open when she saw Jay lean in, grab the side of Hailey’s face, and kiss her. 

Thirty minutes later, after Jay and Hailey were back in the office (they had walked back in five minutes apart, of course,) Kim successfully retrieved her protein bar. 

When Hailey got up to make herself a cup of coffee, Kim followed her, shutting the door behind them. 

Hailey looked up from the coffee pot, confused by the closed door. “Hey?” 

“How’s your day going?” Kim asked, trying to hide her smile. 

“Uh, good.” Hailey replied, looking around skeptically. 

“Oh, I bet. Considering who just kissed you.” 

Hailey’s eyes got big, and she almost dropped the pot of coffee. “What? How-what?”

“I wasn’t spying, I promise. I went to get my protein bar and when I opened the door I saw you and Jay kissing.” 

Hailey sighed and threw her head back. “No secrets around here.”

“I’m not going to say anything.” Kim promised. “You two finally decided to get together?” 

Hailey laughed. “Kind of.”

Kim sat down at the table, waiting for Hailey to tell her the story. 

“Fine.” Hailey agreed, joining her across the table. “The night you went to the hospital, Jay came back to my place. I didn’t want to be alone so we had a drink, started talking and...”

“And?” Kim pressed. 

“We ended up in bed. For the rest of the night.”

“Wow.” Kim smiled at her. “Nice.”

“We haven’t spent one night apart since then.” Hailey admitted. “But we haven’t had like, the talk. Okay, but enough about me. What about you? When are you and Adam finally going to get back together?” 

Kim now understood why Hailey was apprehensive to have this discussion. Talking about someone else’s relationship was much more fun. 

“Pass.” Kim groaned. 

“Come on, you got to grill me about Jay. Your turn.” Hailey wasn’t backing down, which was only fair. 

“It’s...complicated.” Kim hoped that explained enough for now. 

Hailey didn’t even seem to have to put any thought into what she said next. 

“I see the way you two look at each other. There’s nothing complicated about that.” 

Kim wished it wasn’t complicated. But with a baby in the mix, it was...right? Or was she just using that as an excuse?

•••

“So how’s Hailey?” Adam slid into the passenger seat next to Jay, on their way to visit a witness.

“What?” Jay kept his cool, not even flinching at his question.

“Or should I say, how’s Hailey, _babe_?” Adam teased him. “Sorry, you left your phone out in the open.” 

“Anything I say does not leave this car.” Jay looked him in the eye, his tone serious. 

“You have my word.” Adam promised. 

Jay proceeded to tell him how he and Hailey hadn’t spent one night apart since the day Kim went to the hospital. Adam wasn’t surprised at all. The two of them had been throwing heart eyes at each other for a while now.

“Finally, huh?” Adam chuckled. “I’m happy for you, man.” 

“Me too.” Jay smiled. “What about you and Kim?” 

“For her it’s complicated. For me, not so much.” Adam replied.

“What do you mean?” Jay asked. 

“I want to be with her. I mean, I love her. But she’s not so sure. She said we need to be together, like super committed, or strictly friends so the baby doesn’t grow up with back and forth parents.” 

“That’s fair.” Jay nodded understandingly. 

“I just want us to have a good relationship for the sake of our baby, whether it’s a friendship or more than that.”

“But?” Jay pressed, knowing he wanted to say more. 

“But we should be together. I think she thinks the same thing. And I think we’ll be better parents that way.” Adam admitted. 

“You think, or you know?” Jay put the car in park and turned to face Adam. 

“Know. I know.” Adam knew without a doubt in his mind. He just wasn’t sure how to make Kim realize the same thing.

“Go for it.” Jay encouraged him. “Make it happen.”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” Adam laughed. “I’m just not sure if it will be that easy.”

Nothing seemed to be easy with Kim lately. Lately or over the past few years. 

•••

Kim rolled over and checked the time on her phone...again. Four forty-five am. She hadn’t slept for one second the whole night, and there was no use now. She made her way into the kitchen, hunger pains already hitting her. She opened up the fridge and a package of bacon caught her eye. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes would be perfect right now. 

She got to work, trying not to wake Adam up since his alarm wouldn’t go off for another hour or so. 

She poured pancake batter onto the hot skillet as she thought back to her conversation with Hailey. Why did things have to be complicated? Of course she wanted to be with Adam, she was just scared. She didn’t want things to end the way they did last time, years ago. But maybe years ago hadn’t been the right time for them to be together. She nodded to herself. Maybe now was better- 

“Good morning.” 

Kim jumped, dropping a spatula on the floor. 

“Sorry,” Adam laughed. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up. I guess I forgot to be quiet.” 

“What were you thinking about?” Adam walked next to her and leaned against the counter. 

“Just work stuff.” She cringed internally as the words came out. She was a bad liar. 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Yeah?”

“No really, I was thinking about the case yesterday-“ Kim stopped, and sighed, giving up before she got ahead of herself. “Yeah, I lied.”

“Yeah.” Adam chuckled. “How’s our baby?” 

_ Our  _ _baby_. Kim got that feeling in her stomach again. Like butterflies, or something. Maybe bats. 

“Hungry.” She smiled at him, feeling the magnetic pull between the two of them growing stronger by the second. Adam must have felt the same, because his eyes locked on hers. 

Kim didn’t know what to do. The smart thing would be to back up, and finish cooking. But she didn’t have the strength to do that. She tried to think logically, as difficult as it was. Worst case scenario, they don’t work out as a couple. They had plenty of time to figure that out before the baby was born.

“Kim.” Adam stepped towards her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into him. He leaned down and kissed her softly. Kim grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought him down for another kiss, this time harder and more passionate. Before she could get carried away, she pulled herself back.

Adam didn’t go far though, keeping his hands on her waist. 

“I’m tired of things being complicated.” Kim told him, giving into her feelings. 

“Me too.” Adam agreed. 

“Just promise me we’ll take things slow. We need to really make this work. For the baby.” 

“For our baby. Promise.” Adam smiled, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting it up towards him. 

Kim’s knees went weak, his eyes and his touch driving her crazy. All of a sudden she had no idea why she had been holding back her feelings for so long. Now she didn’t know how she would be able to go one day without him. Now, she wasn’t afraid to admit it. 

“Adam, I love you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I get some love for a little Upstead in this chapter?! I hope you guys enjoyed!! Be on the lookout for chapter 3 coming in about a week!


	3. 22 Weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get this chapter up! I had a busy week but I should be back to posting a new chapter once every week from now on.  
> Also a few scenes in here allude to sex but I don’t go into explicit detail at all.

Adam woke up a little earlier than usual for work on Monday morning. He heard Kim moving around in the kitchen and figured she must have had some insomnia last night. She was standing at the coffee maker, already dressed and ready for work.

“Good morning, baby.”

Kim turned around at the sound of his voice, a huge smile plastered across her face.

“Wow, look at you.” Adam chuckled, immediately noticing why she was smiling so big. Her fitted top showed off a still small, but definitely noticeable baby bump. The first time she had been visibly pregnant. Could she get any cuter? He walked over to her and placed his hands on her stomach. “You’re glowing.” 

Kim blushed, smiling even harder. The two met for a kiss, Adam sliding both hands onto her waist. 

“You look so cute.” He left kisses on her cheek and jawline, suddenly not able to get enough of her. 

“Stop.” Kim giggled. She arched her neck up, signaling for him to go lower. 

“Stop?” He pulled away, teasing her.

Kim shook her head and he felt her grab the back of his neck to guide him where she wanted him. He started to leave a trail of kisses on her neck. She had definitely gotten more touchy lately. Lots of neck kissing, sliding her hands down his stomach while they were making out. But just before things would go any further, Kim would stop. 

“We have to get to work.” Kim pulled away without any warning. 

Adam glanced at the clock on the oven. They didn’t have to leave for thirty minutes, but he decided not to say anything. He didn’t want to push her. 

•••

“Pregnant lady in the house!” Kevin was the first to notice as soon as Adam and Kim walked up the stairs.

The rest of the team turned their attention to Kim and started to cheer. They were taking every chance they could to celebrate Kim’s pregnancy and make her feel loved. Adam couldn’t think of a better family for their baby to be born into. 

Adam placed a protective hand over her stomach and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he sat down at his desk. He couldn’t help it - she looked adorable when she was smiling like that.

•••

Kim felt like the days at work dragged on much slower now that she was stationed at a desk. The team had been out all morning, not even calling Kim to ask her to look up a phone number or address. Trudy would come upstairs every so often to keep her company, but she was busy so that usually didn’t last long. Kim found herself getting excited when the phone rang so at least she had something to do.

Around two o’clock, the team finally came back to the district. 

“Hi, darlin’.” Adam gave Kim a big hug and a kiss on the forehead. “How has your day been?”  
Ever since the two had decided to get back together a few weeks ago, Adam hadn’t been shy with showing affection. He didn’t care who was around, he was going to show her his love every chance he got. And Kim was eating it all up. Voight didn’t even seem to mind, like he was giving them a pass because their baby was such a miracle. 

“I’m bored.” Kim pouted. “I miss the outside world.”

“That reminds me, I have an idea-“

“We’re rolling out again.” Voight interrupted Adam mid sentence. “Burgess, stand by. We may need you to send us over an address.”

“You got it, Sarge.” Kim nodded at her boss, happy to have a task, even if it was a small one. 

“I’ll be right back.” Adam promised her, squeezing her hand before running down the stairs. 

“Be safe!” Kim called after him. 

•••

“So like I was saying earlier, I have an idea.” Adam and Kim were finally on their way home after a long day. 

“What is it?” Kim asked eagerly, turning to face Adam. She loved any excuse to look at him. Something about watching him drive was very attractive, just like everything else he did these days.

“There’s some live music and food trucks at a nearby park this weekend. Would you like to go with me?” Adam had really been making an effort lately. He was taking her out on a date once a week. So far they had been to a nice fondue restaurant, they rented a boat on the lake, and they played mini golf followed by dinner.

“I would love that.” Kim beamed, giving him a quick kiss before the light turned green.

•••  
  
Kim told Adam she would make dinner while he took a shower. He had been out on the field most of the day and she could tell he was tired. She started to throw together a quick chicken dish, putting the food in the oven just as Adam walked out from his room. 

Kim stopped in her tracks and stared. Adam was still wet from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. Had he always looked that good shirtless? 

“I forgot the rest of my clothes in the dryer this morning.” Adam walked over to the laundry closet, not seeming to notice Kim’s excessive staring. She had seen him like this plenty of times before, but she couldn’t help herself.

Adam grabbed his clothes and disappeared back into his bedroom, leaving Kim wanting more. She tried to snap herself out of it and make herself busy preparing some side dishes for dinner, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. A few weeks ago she read an article about increased sex drive during pregnancy, and she could definitely feel the increase kicking in lately. She told Adam she wanted to take things slow. Sleeping together after 4 weeks was definitely not taking things slow. She needed to control her urges and focus on their relationship.

After dinner, Adam cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes while Kim made herself comfortable on the couch and turned on a tv show. She stretched her legs out and put her head on a pillow. 

“Thanks for leaving me room.” Adam joked after he finished cleaning up. Kim started to get up, but Adam protested. 

“No, lay down. You’re pregnant, you can take up as much room as you need.” He lifted her legs up, sat down, and placed them over his lap, resting his hand on her knee. “Okay?” 

“Yeah.” Kim smiled at him, then turned her attention back to the tv. 

Adam started absentmindedly running his fingers up and down her thigh. All focus Kim had on the show in front of her was out the window. Why did she want to take things slow again? All of her reasons seemed stupid now. 

Her leg broke out in goosebumps and she felt a shiver go down her spine as Adam continued to touch her.

“Are you okay?” Adam chuckled, noticing the effect he had on her. 

“I’m just cold.” Kim didn’t sound convincing at all, cringing to herself as the words came out. She knew Adam was loving this.  


“Oh yeah?” Adam smirked. He moved to hover over her, his arms holding him up on either side of her. He picked up where he had left off that morning, kissing her neck. 

A soft whimper escaped Kim’s mouth as Adam’s hand trailed down her stomach to the waistline of her pants. 

“Just cold, hm?” He teased, slipping his fingers just barely down her pants. 

Screw it. Screw taking things slow. Kim couldn’t take another second of not being with him.  
  
•••

Adam couldn’t help but break into a smile every time he made eye contact with Kim the next day. After what was probably the fourth time that morning, Jay caught onto what was happening. They were in a room full of detectives, after all. He laughed and shook his head at Adam.

•••

Adam was zeroed in on the paperwork in front of him when he got a text from Kim later that day. “Locker room.” He looked over and noticed that she wasn’t at her desk. How had he missed that? 

Adam rushed down to the locker room, but didn’t see Kim anywhere. He called out to her. “Kim?” 

Kim walked out of the women’s restroom, not wearing much of anything. Adam’s mouth fell open. “What-what?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the bathroom, standing in front of the door so no one could get in. 

“What are you doing?” So many thoughts were running through his head at once. This was illegal, risky, and... hot as hell.

“What does it look like?” Kim smirked.

He had to give it to her, her confidence had certainly gone up since last night. From pretending she didn’t want him, to now trying to get with him at work not even 24 hours later. 

“I can’t wait until we get home.” Kim threw herself at him, lips locking onto his neck, hands immediately going for his belt buckle.

“Baby.” Adam sucked in a breath, knowing he was already past the point of no return. He was hoping Kim would talk some sense into herself and stop, because he couldn’t stop at this point even if he tried. That plan failed quickly though. Adam’s belt was long gone, and their hands were all over each other. Pregnant Kim was something else.

Partially ashamed but mostly proud, Adam walked back upstairs to pick up where he left off on his paper work. Everyone was gone except for Hailey and Jay. Hailey had her chair pulled up at Jay’s desk and they were looking at something on the computer together. They probably hadn’t even noticed Adam and Kim were gone. 

“Hey.” The pair looked up at Adam, Jay’s expression slightly concerned. “You good?” 

Adam came up with a lie on the spot. “Oh yeah. Kim’s doctor called with some bloodwork results so she just wanted me to listen in. All good.”

Jay nodded, satisfied, and went back to work. 

Kim came up five minutes later. She definitely had a glow to her now, but it wasn’t just because she was pregnant. 

“Sorry, I needed a power nap.” Kim shrugged at Jay and Hailey. 

Adam grimaced and shook his head, knowing their cover had been blown. They definitely should have gotten their story straight. 

“Mhmm.” Hailey bit her lip, trying to mask a smile. 

“What?” Kim looked back and forth between Hailey, Jay, and Adam.

“I told them we were on the phone with your doctor.” Adam gave her a sympathetic glance as he watched Kim’s face turn red. 

•••

“Hailey has been gone for almost two hours.” Kim grabbed Jay’s attention, causing his head to snap up at the mention of her name. Everyone was out on the field except for Kim, Adam, and Jay. Hailey had left to talk to one of her CI’s, Joel, but she should have been back a while ago. 

“She’s not answering. I just tried calling twice.” Jay’s face was filled with worry. 

“We’ll go get her.” Adam stood up and put his phone in his back pocket. “I’ll drive. You have the address?” 

Jay nodded, following Adam to the stairs.

“Can I come?” Kim shot up from her desk. She wanted to be there for Hailey in case something was wrong. She knew Hailey would do the same for her.

“You can’t take any kind of risk, baby. You’re pregnant.” Adam said, stopping in his tracks to talk to her. 

“Please?” Kim tried again. “I want to make sure Hailey’s okay.” 

“Come on, man, just let her come with us. We gotta go.” Jay was in a rush, already near the bottom of the stairs. 

“Alright.” Adam agreed, much to Kim’s surprise. 

Jay drove to the CI’s house way too fast. Adam kept glancing back at Kim every few seconds, clearly worried about her being in such a fast moving vehicle. 

“Hailey’s car is still here.” Jay slammed on his breaks in front of the car and ran up to the front door. 

“Stand behind me. Please.” Adam instructed as they followed Jay. 

Kim nodded, grateful for the extra protection. Jay pounded on the door and announced himself as Chicago PD. Kim poked her head out from behind Adam, but her body stayed shielded by his. 

A petite, curly haired woman answered the door looking confused. “Can I help you?” 

“Are you Rachel Tackett, Joel’s wife?” Jay asked. 

“Yes.” She nodded. “Is he okay?” 

Kim could already tell this woman was being fake.

“One of our officers is inside. We need to take a look around.” Jay wasted no time cutting to the chase.

“I’m sorry, I’m a little confused. No police officer has been here today.” Rachel continued to play games with them, and Jay was going to lose his patience any minute. 

“Where’s your husband?” Adam asked. 

“He-um, I think he said he was meeting a friend at the bar a while ago,” Rachel stuttered. She wasn’t holding the door open very wide, but Kim was trying to look around to see anything that might help them. She had to remind herself not to jump out from behind Adam when she saw the smallest drop of blood on the woman’s shoe.

When Rachel was focused on Jay, Kim whispered to Adam what she saw. 

Adam immediately raised his gun and told her to put her hands up, and not to move. 

“Look at her shoe, Jay. Does that look like blood to you?” Adam asked, backing the woman into her house. 

“Where is she?” Jay took the lead, getting in Rachel’s face. “Where’s Hailey?” 

“Wh-who?” Rachel tried to stand her ground, but she wasn’t doing well. 

“I’ll find her myself. I don’t have time for this.” Jay growled. Adam took over, keeping the woman backed against the wall. “Kim, go with Jay.” 

“I have Hailey!” Jay yelled seconds later.

Rachel’s face quickly went from surprised to angry. 

Kim raced up the stairs after the sound of Jay’s voice, hearing Adam in the background.   
“You really thought we wouldn’t be able to find one of our own officers?” 

Hailey was sitting on the floor next to a bed, her hands and ankles zip tied to the bed post. She had a gash in her forehead, a bloody nose, and some bruising around one of her eyes. 

“You’re okay. I got you. You’re okay, right?” Jay was cutting off the zip ties as fast as he could to free Hailey. 

“I’m okay.” Hailey nodded. Neither of them had noticed Kim outside the room, so she backed out to give them some space and waited at the top of the stairs. 

“You whore!” Rachel yelled as soon as she saw Hailey coming down the stairs. “My husband is cheating on me with her!” 

“Hailey is an officer, and your husband was her CI. There was no cheating.” Adam explained to her as he locked handcuffs on her wrists. 

“Why were they always sneaking off then?” Rachel challenged him, never taking her eyes off of Hailey. 

“Because Joel was a dead man if any of his friends found out he was snitching on them.” Adam started to lead her out of the house.

“He’s already a dead man.” Rachel snorted. 

Adam looked at Jay, and Jay shook his head. “I didn’t check the other rooms.”

“I’ll put her in the car and go check.” Adam suggested. “Are you okay?” He asked Hailey. 

“Nothing I haven’t been through before.” Hailey laughed dryly. “I knew Jay would find me.” 

The three team members watched as Adam dragged Rachel out to the car. 

“I’m surprised he let you come here.” Hailey raised an eyebrow at Kim.

“I wanted to be here for you since you were there for me at the hospital a few months ago.” Kim gave Hailey’s shoulder a squeeze. “What happened?”   


“She snuck up behind me and took me upstairs to that bedroom at gun point. I was knocked out for a while so she must have killed Joel then.” Hailey sighed. “So stupid. I should have never let my guard down.”   
  
“It’s not your fault.” Jay put an arm around Hailey.   


•••  
  
“Should we go check on them now?” Kim asked, tired of sitting in the hospital waiting room. 

Adam nodded, grabbing her hand to help her up.

They stopped when they caught sight of Hailey’s hospital room. Jay and Hailey were sitting on the end of the bed together. Jay gave Hailey a kiss on the forehead, right next to her stitches, and Hailey closed her eyes at the contact. Then Hailey said something that made Jay laugh. Kim couldn’t help but smile at the way Hailey looked at Jay when he laughed. That was the same way she looked at Adam. 

“They’re cute.” Kim smiled. “I don’t want to interrupt them.” 

“We’ll see them on their way out. They look like they’re about to leave anyways.” Adam wrapped his arm around Kim’s waist and led her to the front entrance.  


“Have you guys been waiting here for us this whole time?” Hailey asked as she and Jay rounded the corner to leave the hospital.

“Of course. We wanted to make sure you were okay.” Kim smiled at her. 

“Sorry it took so long. We were just waiting for blood work results.”

“I thought we were supposed to tell them you were taking a power nap?” Jay made a show of making his eyes big and shaking his head. 

“Oh, very funny.” Kim rolled her eyes when she caught onto their joke. 

“Hey, a pregnant woman should have her craving. Whatever that may be.” Adam winked at Kim. 

Kim felt her cheeks go red, knowing he just liked to see her blush. “I’m done with all of you.”

•••  
  
Adam loved sleeping in the same bed as Kim. He was right there to protect her, get her a drink or snack in the middle of the night, and wake up next to her in the morning. 

They were close to falling asleep, Adam with his arm around Kim, her head resting on his chest. 

“The baby is kicking,” Kim told him in a sleepy voice. Adam rested his free hand on her stomach and gently rubbed to say goodnight to the baby. He moved his hand to a new spot, and felt a small movement under his finger tips. 

“I just felt the baby.” Adam was wide awake now. “Kim, I felt him kick!”

Kim started to sit up, but he stopped her. “Don’t move, I want to feel it again.” 

After a few minutes of waiting, he got one more tiny kick. “That’s amazing. I can’t believe you feel that inside of you all the time.”

“You called the baby a him.” Kim went back to her spot under Adam’s arm. 

“What?” 

“You said you felt _him_ kick. You think the baby is a boy?” Kim asked.

“I didn’t even realize I said that.” Adam admitted. “I don’t really have a guess.”

“Me either. I was hoping you did.” Kim yawned. “Every one says the mom will have a gut feeling whether it’s a boy or girl, but I feel like every day my guess is different.”

Adam tried to imagine them with a baby boy, then a baby girl, and realized he didn’t have a preference. Both felt right. “Maybe there’s one of each in there.”

“I don’t think so.” Kim laughed. “They couldn’t have missed twins after like, five ultrasounds.”

“Probably not.” Adam chuckled. “Alright, we should get some sleep. But if the baby kicks again tell me so I can feel.”

“I promise.”

“Goodnight, baby.” Adam gave Kim a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I love you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim is over halfway through her pregnancy!! What do you guys think will happen next?


	4. 26 Weeks

“Kim.”

Kim whipped her head around from her desk to find Trudy standing at the top of the stairs. From the look on her face and the use of her first name, she could already tell something wasn’t right. 

“Sarge?” Kim stood up from her desk, trying to read her expression. 

“We have to go.” Trudy finally said after a few seconds of silence and a blank expression on her face. She started her descent down the stairs without another word. 

“What?” Kim followed her, going down the stairs a little slower these days, gripping onto the railing. “What’s wrong?” 

“Just come with me. I need you for something.”

Kim slid into the passenger side of Trudy’s car which had been waiting right outside of the precinct’s entrance. “I hope it’s not much. I’m on light duty. You know that I’m on light duty, right?” 

Trudy took off immediately after Kim’s seatbelt was secure, and turned her lights and sirens on. 

“What’s going on?” This was weird. Kim was trying to call Adam as they were pulling into med. She quickly realized that he wasn’t answering, and felt knots in her stomach.

Trudy stopped in front of the E.D. entrance.

Kim stuttered. “Is-Is he-“

“Yes. Go.”

Kim ran through the front doors, ignoring the employee at the front desk trying to stop her. Her head was spinning, and she had tunnel vision trying to look around the hospital for any sign of Adam. 

“Burgess.” 

Kim heard her name, but couldn’t locate where the voice was coming from. 

“Burgess. Hey.” Voight stepped in front of her, trying to get her to focus.

“Adam- where’s Adam? What happened?”

Voight placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. Sirens were growing louder in the background. “He’s in the ambulance pulling up now. Listen, Burgess.” 

Kim shook her head, knowing whatever he was about to say next wouldn’t be good. 

“Adam got shot.”

Kim stumbled backwards, feeling like the wind got knocked out of her, but Voight stopped her from falling. 

“He’s alive. He’s alive, but-“

She snapped out of her dream like state when she heard a paramedic saying Adam’s name as she pushed a gurney into the hospital. 

“Adam Ruzek, two bullets to the chest stopped by his vest, one bullet in the thigh. Entry wound, no exit wound. Going in and out of consciousness.” 

Jay was running alongside of the paramedics trying to talk to Adam. “You’re gonna be okay, man. You’re okay. Look, Kim is here.” 

With Voight right on her heels, Kim ran to meet Adam. Will Halstead beat them there, shooting Kim a quick, knowing glance. 

“Pressure is dropping!” The paramedic yelled, placing two fingers on his neck. “I’m not getting a pulse.” 

Will jumped into action and immediately started performing CPR. 

“Adam!” Kim yelled through her tears. She followed behind Adam, trying to reach over to touch his hand, get a better look at his face, or something. Anything. But he was rolled through a set of double doors, stopping her from following him. 

“He needs surgery now!” She heard Will yell as the doors sealed shut.

Kim lunged forward and tried to push and pull the doors frantically, but they were locked. “Let me in!” She screamed, pounding at the doors. She felt two pairs of arms pull her away from the door. She tried to resist, but crying and panicking was making her weak, unable to fight back. Jay and Voight tried to make her sit down in a chair but she refused, still trying to fight her way back to the doors she needed to get through. She needed to get to Adam.

“Kim.” Voight finally pulled her into a tight hug, having no other way to calm her down. At first she resisted, trying to push him away. 

“I-I need Adam,” She gave up her fight and sunk into the chair behind her, turning into a sobbing mess. Voight wrapped his arms around her while she cried. “He’s going to pull through.” 

This couldn’t be happening. Life without Adam wasn’t a life she could ever imagine. But now it wouldn’t just be her life without Adam, it was their baby’s life without Adam. Their baby growing up without a father-

“Adam’s okay.” Will came running into the waiting room, stopping in front of Kim.

Kim exhaled hard, trying to catch her breath but she still felt herself crying. 

“We had to intubate, but he’s okay. He’s in surgery now.” Will explained.

Jay let out a deep breath and reached over to squeeze Kim’s shoulder. 

“How long until I can see him?” Kim wiped her eyes, trying to gain control.

“I’ll come get you in about thirty minutes when he’s in a recovery room. I’m sure he wants you there when he wakes up.” 

Kim nodded, still not able to stop crying no matter how hard she tried. Will reassured her a few more times that Adam was going to be perfectly fine, but she wouldn’t fully believe him until she could see Adam for herself.

•••

Will eventually took her to a recovery room where Adam was asleep under a blanket. Kim felt more relief when she could see his chest moving up and down. He was no longer intubated, he just had oxygen in his nose.

Will gave her instructions before he left the two alone. “He has two big bruises on his abdomen. Don’t be alarmed when you see them later. When he wakes up press the nurse button so we can come check on him.”

Kim pulled up a chair next to the hospital bed and grabbed Adam’s hand. She pulled his hand to her face and held it to her cheek.

Finally, Adam’s eyes started to flutter open. He looked around, still coming off of the anesthesia. When he saw Kim his eyes got big. 

“Kim? Baby-the baby?” 

“I’m right here. The baby is okay.” She grabbed his hand tighter to attempt to calm him. 

“What-what’s happening?” Adam tried to sit up, but groaned in pain and fell back on the pillow.

“Look at me, Adam.” Kim instructed him. “You got shot. Do you remember?” 

Adam sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Yeah. Damn.” 

“Your vest stopped two bullets but you just had surgery for one stuck in your leg.”

“Sounds about right.” Adam turned his head to look at her and smiled softly. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

Kim couldn’t help herself from crying again. She reached over and gave Adam a gentle hug, careful not to hurt him anymore than he already was. “You stopped breathing when you got here.” 

“Probably because I saw you. You take my breath away.” Adam cracked a smile, not missing a beat. 

Kim huffed, but couldn’t help herself when she laughed at him. “Stop it.”

She pressed the button Will instructed her to press earlier, and he came in with a nurse. 

Kim had to hold back a gasp when she saw the bruises on his chest. They were the darkest bruises she’d ever seen, covering a good portion of his abdomen. 

Adam winced when so much as a finger brushed over the bruise. 

“You’re going to have to take a week off of work at least.” Will told him after he finished the examination. “You need to rest and that’s it. Okay? I mean it. Nothing but rest if you want to get back to work.” 

“Do you think you can keep your hands off of me for a whole week?” Adam joked as soon as Will left the room. 

“No.” Kim laughed, but she wasn’t joking. “I guess I’ll have to try though.” 

“I’m sorry I scared you, baby.” Adam grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over her fingers. 

“I just can’t imagine my life without you.” Kim sniffled, starting to tear up again.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Adam reassured her. “A few bullets won’t take me out.” 

“I’m serious. You’ve been there for everything. The good, bad, awkward...” Kim wiped her eyes. “Adam, I don’t want to do life without you. I want you to be the one I share everything with. I just-I love you. I love you so much.” 

Adam pulled Kim down into a kiss and embraced her, despite the pain he felt. 

“It’s always been you and me, Kim. And it’s always going to be you and me.”   
  


•••

Adam felt more than ready to go back to work after two weeks even though he had to be on light duty for a while. He enjoyed the time off, but he loved his job and felt like something was missing when he wasn’t working. 

After a bit of a slow morning, Adam and Kevin went to a witness’s house to see if he was around. He had been dodging their calls and hadn’t shown up to work in a few days, so it was time to pay him a visit. 

As soon as Kevin knocked on the door, they heard the back door slam shut. They gave each other a quick nod before going around the back of the house. They spotted the man they were looking for trying to climb over a fence. 

“Chicago PD! Stop!” Adam wanted to charge towards him, but quickly remembered he wasn’t supposed to run yet. He was thankful he hadn’t gotten much closer when the man pulled a gun out of his waist band. He fired a shot at Adam who jumped out of the way, barely missing the bullet. Luckily Kevin reacted quickly, shooting down the gunman.

“Ten-four, ten-four! Shots fired at the police!” Kevin yelled into the radio. “Offender down.” 

Adam was still on the ground, trying to catch his breath. His first day back at work after being shot and he almost got shot again. Kim wasn’t going to like this.

A few minutes later, Voight’s car and an ambulance pulled up to the scene. Kim came out of the passenger seat, face full of panic and tears. “Adam?” She spotted him right away and ran - kind of - towards him. 

Adam pulled her into a hug and tried to comfort her. “I’m fine, baby. It’s okay.”

Voight told the couple to take the rest of the day off. Adam wasn’t so sure, but Kim looked relieved, so he decided not to argue.

•••

Adam looked over at Kim every few seconds while he was driving home. She wasn’t saying anything and she looked almost angry.

Kim made a bee line for her bedroom when they walked in their apartment, but Adam wasn’t having it. 

He opened the door the second she shut it in his face.

”Kim.”

She whipped her head around to face him, already welling up with tears. His eyes softened, instantly feeling bad for getting upset just because she was.

“Don’t do that, baby. Don’t cry.” He moved in to hug her, and she reluctantly let him. 

“You could have died last week, and again today.” Kim pulled away, anger coming back to her expression. 

“An officer can die at any point on the job. You know that, Kim.” 

“You’re not just an officer. You’re the father of our baby.” Kim wrapped her arms around her stomach. 

Adam reached over to touch Kim’s belly. “I’m sorry you had to see me when I came in on the ambulance last week. I know you were scared. But I’m not going to let myself get hurt.” 

“You can’t control that. Like you said, an officer can die at any time.” Kim said bitterly. 

“Where is this coming from, baby?” Adam asked. 

“I think we should get different jobs.” Kim looked down, avoiding eye contact with Adam.

He didn’t know what to say at first. This was not the way he expected this conversation to go. 

“If we’re going to bring a baby into this world. We need to get a job that doesn’t require us to put our life on the line every day.” Kim continued, finally getting brave enough to look up at him. 

“Kim, no.” Adam shook his head. “This is crazy.” 

“Is it? Or am I the only one who wants to look out for our family.” Kim snapped. 

“That’s not fair.” Adam didn’t want to fight fire with fire. He was trying his hardest not to say something out of anger. 

“You know what’s not fair? Being in this line of work now that we have a family.” Kim wasn’t making this any easier. 

“You can’t ask me to quit. I won’t do it.” Adam stood his ground. 

“You won’t even think about it. You won’t even consider my opinion.” Kim argued. 

“No, Kim, I won’t. What the hell is this?” 

“You almost died today. Again.” Kim was trying to keep her voice controlled, Adam could tell. She was about to cry at any minute. 

“Almost died?” Adam groaned and rubbed his eyes. “The bullet didn’t even graze me. Look at me, I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Why won’t you even consider it?” Kim tried again. 

“You know what, fine. I’ll go consider it.” Adam grabbed his keys, and headed for the door. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but this was his only option if he wanted to keep his temper at bay. 

“Where are you going?” Kim followed him out to the door, getting angrier with every step he took away from her. “I’m trying to talk to you.” 

Adam knew if he looked at Kim, he would feel bad and want to apologize. He kept his back towards her and walked out of the door. “I’m going to Molly’s.” 

•••

The sound of someone knocking on the front door fifteen minutes later surprised Kim. Adam must have turned around halfway to Molly’s. 

“Hi.”

Kim was even more surprised to see who was standing outside her door.

“Hailey?” 

“I didn’t want to bother you and Adam but Vanessa isn’t answering her phone-“

“Come in.” Kim gestured for Hailey to enter her apartment. “Adam isn’t home right now.” 

“Where is he?” Hailey asked, taking a seat at the kitchen counter.

“Molly’s.” Kim didn’t even trying to mask her disappointment.

“Ha.” Hailey laughed dryly. “I bet Jay is on his way there now.”

“Did you guys have a fight too?” Kim asked as she grabbed a bottle of liquor from one of the cabinets. “For you, not me.” 

“Yeah.” Hailey gratefully accepted the shot glass from her friend. She downed it and held it out for more. Kim grabbed a bigger glass for and filled it up. She would have to live vicariously through her drinking for now. 

“You might be drinking a little too fast there.” Kim raised her eyebrow at her friend.

Hailey shrugged. “Who cares.” 

“What happened? Talk to me.” Kim filled her glass up again, taking a few sips of water for herself. 

“Jay suggested we move in together.” Hailey shook her head, downing another shot. “I said no.” 

“Why?” Kim asked. 

“I thought we would be moving too fast. But now... I don’t know.” Hailey paused, staring off into space for a few minutes before she turned her attention back to Kim. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I told Adam we need to get new jobs.” Kim admitted.

“Because of the baby?” Hailey asked. Kim had expected her to not understand either, but she sounded like she did. There was no hint of judgement in her voice. 

“Yeah.” Kim sent Hailey a sad smile. 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Hailey downing drinks, Kim staring at the front door. 

“I wish he could see where I was coming from.” Kim sighed.

“I just don’t want this to ruin what we have.” Hailey’s words were starting to slur. 

“I mean, maybe I came at him a little too harsh.” Kim thought back to their conversation. It was a little one-sided. 

“I guess we sleep in the same bed every night though.” Hailey turned her head to the side, lost in thought. 

“I basically demanded that we get new jobs out of the blue.” Kim took a big gulp of water, pretending it was alcohol. 

“But moving in together is different. That’s like, almost marriage.” Hailey followed Kim’s lead and took another big drink.

“I should have talked to him calmly about how I felt.” Kim snorted. “Ha, calm. My hormones don’t know what that means.” 

“But then again, why is marriage even a bad thing when it’s with Jay?” Hailey slapped her hand over her mouth in disbelief. “I’m drunk.” 

“Talking about this out loud really helped. Thanks, Hailey. And-“Kim stopped her rambling for a minute to look at Hailey in surprise, registering what she just said. “I think you just said you’d marry Jay.” 

“Um...” Hailey looked back and forth at Kim, then at her drink. “I think I did.” 

“So maybe moving in with him wouldn’t be so bad?” Kim tried to encourage her. 

“Maybe not.” Hailey downed the glass in front of her. “I just-I was. I don’t know-“

“You were a little scared and you overreacted as a defense mechanism?” Kim finished the sentence for her, easily finding an explanation for Hailey’s behavior because that’s exactly what she had done earlier. 

“That.” Hailey pointed at Kim, her direction slightly off. “That’s it.” 

While Hailey tried to practice what she was going to say to Jay to make up with him, Kim slipped into another room to call him. 

“Is Hailey with you?” Jay answered on the first ring, sounding worried. 

“She’s at my place. She’s fine but-“ 

“What? But what?” Jay interrupted. 

“She’s really drunk. Will you come get her?” Kim asked, knowing he would without a doubt. 

“On my way.” 

•••

Hailey was still trying to practice what she wanted to say to Jay, but she could only get a few words out before she forgot what she was trying to do. She didn’t even notice the knock at the front door. 

Kim let Jay in and pointed to the kitchen counter. 

“Hailey?” Jay asked softly as he approached her.

Hailey turned her attention to Jay, not registering what was happening right away. Her eyes got big, and she opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Her expression turned into a sad face like she was about to cry. Jay quickly moved in and wrapped his arms around her. 

“I didn’t mean it.” Hailey pulled back from the hug. “I tried-I was-“ she looked at Jay, then at Kim. “Kim?” 

Kim stepped in to help her very drunk friend. “Hailey wants to move in with you. She’s sorry for reacting the way she did.” 

“And?” Hailey wanted her to continue. 

“She was just scared, so she said you were moving too fast, fought with you, and ran out as a defensive mechanism.” Kim nodded at Hailey, who nodded back, satisfied. 

A smile spread across Jay’s face as Hailey looked at him expectedly. “It’s okay.” He told her. 

“Don’t tell him the other part.” Hailey sent Kim a warning glance. Kim bit her lip to keep from laughing and agreed. 

“What other part?” Jay looked at the two girls. Kim shook her head. “Sorry.” 

Hailey dropped her voice to a whisper. “I told Kim that I would marry you, but she can’t tell anyone.” Alcohol had no secrets. 

Jay’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then he pulled her into another hug.

Kim partially regretted giving Hailey so much to drink, but at the same time it wasn’t so bad that she was telling Jay her real feelings. He certainly didn’t seem to mind. 

“I’m going to get her home.” Jay cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed that Kim just witnessed all of that. “Hey, where’s Adam?” 

As if on cue, Adam came through the front door. “Kim- oh?” He was caught off guard by the unexpected company. “Everything alright?” 

Hailey had nodded off on Jay’s shoulder for a few minutes, but woke up at the sound of Adam’s voice. “Don’t tell Jay what I told Kim.” She directed her glance at Adam.

“I’m taking her home. She came over here and got a little drunk.” Jay explained, putting Hailey’s arm over his shoulder. He picked her up bridal style, and Adam moved to open the door for them. 

“I told Kim I’m marrying Jay.” Hailey attempted to whisper to Adam on her way out. She looked down at Jay and tilted her head. “You look hot right now.” 

“And with that being said, goodnight.” Jay chuckled, nodding at Adam. 

“You had way too much to drink.” They heard Jay and Hailey laughing as they shut the door.

Kim felt awkward now that Jay and Hailey were gone. They were a nice distraction for a while, but now she needed to swallow her pride and apologize. 

Adam tried to beat her to it. “Baby, look-“ 

“No.” Kim interrupted him. “Let me go first.” 

He looked like he was about to protest, but stopped. He took a seat at the kitchen island, Kim following. 

“I’m sorry.” She swallowed hard, already feeling like she was about to cry. “I panicked when you almost got shot today and my mind went to the worst case scenario. All I could think of was our baby growing up without both of us-“ she stopped to collect herself, her voice cracking. 

Adam got up and pulled her into a hug. She felt better when his arms were around her. 

“I’m sorry I walked out on you.” Adam said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Let’s make a deal. If one of us ever finds ourselves in a life threatening situation at work again, we can talk about a career change. Just talk.”

“Okay.” Kim nodded. “Deal.” 

“Alright.” Adam reached up and brushed her hair to the side. “I love you, you know?” 

“I know.” Kim broke into a smile. “I love you too.”

“I have something to show you. Wait here.” Adam disappeared into his bedroom and brought his laptop over to where Kim was sitting. 

“How would you like to go on vacation before our baby gets here?” He asked, opening up an email that contained airline tickets. 

Kim’s mouth dropped open. “A babymoon?” 

“Yes.” Adam chuckled at her reaction. “I found a nice resort on a beach in Florida. We have vacation time saved up and Voight approved it.”

“Are you serious?” Kim asked, still in disbelief. 

“I’m super serious.” Adam pulled up the resort’s website, letting Kim look through the photos of the hotel.

“Do you have any idea how excited I am for this?” Kim smiled up at Adam. 

“How excited?” He asked. 

“I’ll show you.” Kim stood up from her chair and pointed to the bedroom. “In there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters so far!! I hope you guys enjoy <3


	5. 30 Weeks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Wow it’s been a long time but I promise I haven’t given up on this story! I fully plan to finish it. I was honestly lacking inspiration since One Chicago didn’t air new episodes for a while but now that they’re back I’m so much more motivated! (Can we talk about Upstead and Burzek the last few episodes?!)   
> It’s also been hard to find free time to write so I’m just working on this project whenever I get chances throughout the day so bear with me. I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading this story you all mean so much to me <3   
> Also I had to throw a case in here because I love coming up with them and a multi chapter PD fic just doesn’t feel complete without having a murder case! Also the way they fell into this case felt like something that would actually happen on the show.   
> Okay enjoy!! :)

“I can’t believe we’re here.” Kim took in a deep breath, inhaling the salty air. The ocean was only a few hundred feet away from them and they could hear the waves crashing into the shore.   
“Just you and me for the next few days. No work, no interruptions.” Adam helped her out of the car and gave her a kiss as soon as she was on her feet. 

Kim and Adam were finally in Florida. Jay and Hailey, who had just moved in together, had dropped them off at the airport early that morning. Kim planned to watch a movie on the plane ride over, but she had to get up to use the bathroom every 10 minutes, so she turned off the movie after her third bathroom trip. An Uber picked them up from the airport after they collected their luggage and took one more bathroom trip, and now they were at their resort. 

They walked up to the front desk and a light haired man with tan skin greeted them with a smile.   
“Good morning! Welcome to Palm Ocean Resort. Are you Kim and Adam Ruzek?”   
“Yes sir, we are.” Adam sent a quick wink at Kim and nodded at the man. Kim smiled to herself, imagining her name one day really would be Kim Ruzek. It seemed to flow.  
“Nice to meet you both. I’m Tucker, the resort manager. I’ll just need a minute to get you two checked in. Can I see some ID, please?”   
Tucker looked over their ID’s and handed them back. “So you’re from Chicago? What do you two do over there?” He asked while clicking a few buttons on his computer.   
“We work for the Chicago Police Department.” Kim answered proudly.   
“Cops? Perfect. You can help keep your resort neighbors in line.” Tucker saw the concerned looks on their faces and quickly corrected himself. “I’m sorry, bad joke. They just like to argue but I promise, you won’t be bothered.”   
Kim and Adam still looked skeptical.   
“I’ve known them for years, we’re all friends.” Tucker explained. “They’re just one of those couples who bicker about... you know, everything.” He handed them both a room key, and Adam rented a golf cart. He didn’t want Kim to walk more than she needed to. 

Adam drove the golf cart at a nice slow pace on the way to their room so they could take in the view. He was wearing sunglasses, shorts, and a v neck shirt. Kim smiled at the sight of him. He looked relax and happy, just like her. The farther along she got in her pregnancy, the happier she felt. She was 30 weeks now and she thought her bump was perfect and round, her skin was glowing, and she was in full on nesting mode. Most of her spare time was spent cleaning, organizing, and making meals ahead of time to heat in the oven when the baby was born. Her work load was getting lighter by the week. Voight and Adam refused to let her overwork herself.

They arrived at their beach house a few minutes later. The houses were small with one bedroom, bathroom, a kitchen and seating area, but it was a perfect size for the two of them. Their house’s sliding glass door and outside sitting area was close to their neighbors. A couple about mid 50’s stood on their porch and looked to be arguing. The wife kept pointing her finger at her husband every few seconds, but they kept their voices low enough that Kim and Adam couldn’t hear what they were saying.   
They noticed the newcomers and stopped arguing.   
“Good morning!” The woman waved to them and walked over to their porch area.   
“Tucker told us we were getting new neighbors this morning.” The man nodded to them. “I’m Rex and this is my wife, Allison.”   
They all exchanged hand shakes and polite smiles.   
“I see we have a little one due soon.” Allison smiled at Kim.   
Kim beamed and placed a hand over her stomach. “Due in ten weeks.”   
“What a miracle.” Rex reached out to touch his hand to Kim’s bump, but Adam placed a protective hand over her stomach, stopping him.   
“We’re going to head inside and unpack.” Adam started to lead Kim back to the golf cart.   
“Nice to meet you both.” Allison waved, then turned to her husband to scold him. “Why would you try to do that? You don’t know her!” 

Kim and Adam ate lunch on the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of the water, relaxing on the sand, and reading under the shade.   
Later that night after Kim showered, she told Adam she would be waiting in bed for him after he took a shower. As soon as he walked out of the bathroom, his heart melted. Kim had lit a few candles around the room and dimmed the lights to set the mood, but she had fallen asleep while waiting for him. Adam took a mental picture of the scene. The love of his life, pregnant with his baby, sleeping peacefully in the glow of the candlelight. He draped a blanket over her and blew out the candles, letting her sleep. How did he get so lucky? 

Adam woke up around 6 the next morning. Waking up early had become such a habit, he couldn’t sleep in if he tried. He made a cup of iced coffee and stepped outside to drink it and enjoy the view of the ocean. For about an hour he sipped his coffee, watched the sunrise, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. When he got up to go inside, something caught his eye. The curtains over the neighbors glass door were closed, but something was sticking under the corner. He stepped closer to get a better look and confirm his suspicions. A limp hand.   
Adam ran back into their beach house. “Kim!” He yelled, running into the bedroom. “Kim, wake up.”   
Kim sat straight up, an alarmed expression on her face.   
“Call 911. It’s the neighbors.” Adam instructed, grabbing his gun from his night table and loading it. Kim wasted no time grabbing her cell phone. Adam ran back out the door, and into the neighbors’ house. He expected to have to kick down the door, but it was unlocked. He saw a dead body on the floor, but cleared the rest of the house first to make sure it was empty. When he knew he was safe, he approached the body. Allison. She had a plastic bag duct taped around her head, clearly suffocated. Her hand had ended up under the curtain, which Adam had seen from outside.   
Kim came in at that moment, gun pointed in front of her.   
“It’s all clear.” Adam reassured her. She lowered her weapon and came to his side, already out of breath. “Allison.” She sighed. 

A swarm of officers came in the house seconds later and Kim and Adam showed them their badges and ID’s. Adam explained his story while the paramedics and M.E. confirmed that she was officially dead.   
“Time of death was about 5:45 this morning.” The M.E. announced.  
Adam shook his head. “If only I had been awake 15 minutes earlier.”  
“She was suffocated, Adam. You wouldn’t have known what was happening.” Kim reached over to rub his shoulder. 

“Both husband and wife left their cell phones here. Husband is no where to be found on the resort.” An officer reported back after searching the area. He held up two iPhones in evidence bags.   
A plain clothes man shoved the front door open, sweat gathering on his forehead. “I’m sorry I took so long, I was caught up in another case-“ He looked at Adam and Kim and sent them a questioning look.   
“Adam Ruzek, intelligence, Chicago Police.” Adam reached out for a quick handshake.   
“Detective Felix. Vice.” The man introduced himself.   
“Kim, intelligence, Chicago.” Kim shook Felix’s hand. “Why did they send vice?”   
“Intelligence is backed up beyond recovery.” Felix shook his head. “Not that we aren’t too, but-“  
“We’ll help.” Kim volunteered. She knew Adam was about to say the same thing.   
“I can’t ask you guys to do that.” Felix shook his head.   
“You’re not asking, we’re offering.” Adam said.   
“You guys are on vacation. And she’s-well-she’s extremely pregnant.” Felix argued.   
“Don’t worry I won’t be the one running after a suspect.” Kim snorted.   
“Let us help, man.” Adam insisted.   
“Okay.” Felix sighed, giving up the minimal fight he had put up. “Normally I would say no but we could really use the extra help.” 

Felix lead them to his car. He was going to drive them down to their district to give them some space to work.   
“Wait, you said Chicago.” Felix stopped mid-walk. “Does that mean you work with Voight?”   
“He’s our sergeant.” Adam knew that Felix knowing Voight would either be really good or really bad.  
“He worked with my brother a long time ago. If you work for Voight I know I don’t have anything to worry about.” Felix looked like he had a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders.   
“Voight has connections everywhere, huh?” Adam chuckled as he opened the door for Kim. Before she could get in, a truck came to a screeching halt behind them. Rex jumped out, not bothering to shut the door behind him.   
“What’s going on?” He yelled, running over. He spotted Kim and Adam, and stopped at them. “What’s happening?”   
“Rex, you need to come sit down.” Adam told him, gesturing to his front porch chairs.   
“No. No, no, no.” Rex shook his head frantically, looking back and forth at the three officers. “Tell me what’s going on.”   
“Sir, I’m Detective Felix with the Florida Police.” Felix stepped in. “I’m so sorry to tell you that we found your wife, Allison, dead this morning.”   
Rex continued shaking his head back and forth, tears welling up in his eyes. “No, no, no!” He repeated, louder and more desperate this time. “Please, no!”  
Adam and Felix reached out to lead him to a chair, but he collapsed onto the pavement instead. “Not my Allie.” He cried, sobs shaking his body.   
Kim found herself getting emotional at the scene, so she stepped away while Felix tried to talk to Rex.   
“Kim?” Adam came up behind her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.   
She turned around with tears in her eyes. “Sorry. The hormones.” She sniffled.  
“Hey, it’s okay.” He put a hand on her lower back. “We’ll solve this.”   
Kim gathered herself enough to go back to Rex and Felix after a few minutes.   
Rex’s sobs had slowed down, but he still had tears pouring down his face. “Our last conversation...” he looked up at Kim, then cast his eyes down. “It was an argument. We argued and now she’s gone.”  
Adam nodded his head towards Rex’s truck, indicating he was going to go take a look.   
“Listen, Rex, I know this is a hard time right now but I have to ask you a few questions.” Kim hated this part. The last thing a grieving person wanted was to answer questions, but she had no choice. “Where were you this morning?”  
“Fishing.” Rex’s answer came quick. “I left just before 5 this morning. I go fishing every few days.”  
“And the last time you saw your wife?” Kim asked.  
“This morning before I left. She was asleep.” Again, Rex didn’t hesitate when answering. That seemed like a good sign so far.   
Adam signaled for Kim and Felix to come over to Rex’s truck, so they let him have a minute to himself.   
“Not looking good.” Adam sighed. The bed of the truck was filled with two tackle boxes, a few fishing poles, a tire, a couple pairs of shoes, and other random items scattered around.   
“What?” Kim asked, not understanding.   
“That.” Adam gestured to a roll of duct tape and a bunch of plastic bags rubber banded together. “The same tape and bag found around Allison’s head.”  
“Shoot.” Felix whispered.   
“No.” Kim said. The two men looked at her.   
“No?” Adam raised his eyebrows.   
“It wasn’t him.” Kim argued. There was no way. “Do you know how many people probably have that same silver duct tape? The same plastic bags? Anyone who shops at Walmart will have a Walmart plastic bag. It wasn’t him.”   
“Kim...” Adam rubbed the back of his neck.   
“It’s not the pregnancy hormones.” She shot Adam a look, then turned to Felix. “It’s a gut instinct telling me he didn’t do it.”   
A uniformed officer walked up to them before they could take the conversation further. “The husband is saying to check the resort cameras to prove he left to go fishing this morning and just now came back. He’s adamant he wasn’t involved.”   
“Thanks, officer.” Kim smiled politely at her, then gave an “I told you so” look to the guys.  
Felix looked to Adam who clearly wanted to argue, but decided against it.  
“I really have to get back to my other case. You guys-you’re sure you’re good here?” Felix asked.  
“We have it under control.” Adam promised. 

When Kim and Adam arrived at the front desk, Tucker was nowhere to be found. They saw a young girl, maybe 18 years old, working the desk. The second she made eye contact with them, she looked nervous.   
Adam and Kim exchange a quick glance, noting they both saw the change in demeanor. The girl shifted back and forth on her feet and looked like she wanted to run.   
“Chicago PD-“ Kim started saying out of habit, but she corrected herself. “With Florida PD today.”   
The girl, whose name tag read “June,” nodded.   
“June, do you know where we can find security footage? And where we can find Tucker?” Adam asked as he approached the desk.   
“I don’t know how to access security footage. I’m sorry.” June glanced down at the desk below her. “Tucker is off today.”   
“I’m sure you know what’s happened by now, right?” Kim asked.   
June nodded, quickly glancing down again, then back at the officers.   
“Can we have Tucker’s personal cell phone number?”

Adam called Tucker and he answered after three rings.  
“Tucker?”  
“Speaking. Who is this?” He asked, sounding slightly annoyed.   
“Adam and Kim from the resort. We’re helping out the Florida Police Department. Tucker, there’s been an accident at the resort and we need you to come down here. Right now.” Adam kept his tone business-like.   
He heard Tucker shuffling around on the other line. “I’ll be down there as soon as I can.” Then he hung up.   
“Weird.” Kim stood near the front entrance with Adam to wait for Tucker.   
“What is?”   
“He didn’t even ask what the accident was.” Kim pointed out.   
“They probably have all kinds of old people vacation here and get hurt and.... I don’t know, die from heart attacks.” Adam shrugged.  
“Still think the husband did it, huh?” Kim shook her head in disapproval.   
“He’s a weird guy, Kim. They’re constantly arguing, he was gone all morning, then had the same duct tape and plastic bags in his truck? He tried to touch your stomach the other day and he had just met you. Something about him doesn’t sit right with me.” Adam explained his reasoning. It made sense to Kim, but she still wasn’t buying it.   
“His reaction was way too genuine. He seemed shocked.” Kim stood her ground. There was just no way she could believe Rex did this. 

Tucker stopped his car in front of the entrance, not bothering to park, and he jogged over to Kim and Adam. “What’s going on?”   
“Allison was found murdered this morning.” Kim cut right to the chase.   
“A-Allison?” Tucker stuttered, his eyes getting wide. “Murdered?”  
“Yes. This morning.” Kim repeated.   
Tucker rubbed his eyes with his hands and let out a long exhale. “Rex finally snapped didn’t he?”   
“Rex?” Adam jumped in. “What do you mean?”   
“They always argue. Remember, like I told you yesterday?” Tucker closed his eyes for a moment. “Poor Allison.” He whispered.   
“What exactly were the arguments about?” Adam pressed.   
“You name it. When to visit their parents, money, chores around the house, what’s for dinner. Literally everything was an argument with them.” Tucker explained. “I’m sorry, I need to sit down.” He found a nearby bench and took a seat. “I still can’t believe this.”  
“Is there anything else we should know about Allison and Rex? Anything that might help us?” Kim asked.   
Tucker looked around, then made a point to keep his voice low. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was abusing her.”   
Kim and Adam looked at each other. Kim still didn’t buy it, but Adam looked totally convinced.   
“Can we see the security footage from today?” Adam asked.  
“We’ve been having issues with the camera lately but we have an IT guy coming in this afternoon.” Again, Tucker lowered his voice. “Rex knew that the cameras wouldn’t be fixed until later today. He was around when I made the phone call.”   
“Can you stick around today and give us a call when the camera guy is here?” Adam asked, handing Tucker his card.   
“Absolutely.” He tucked the card in his back pocket. “Poor Allison. I can’t believe she had to suffer like that.”   
“Suffer?” Kim asked. That was suspicious.   
“Well, yeah, suffer because she was...murdered.” Tucker took a deep breath before saying the word “murdered.”  
“Right.” Kim eyed him. “We’ll be in touch.” 

Adam and Kim took a golf cart back to the scene after calling the officers there with their new information. Kim was starting to get tired. She had been standing and walking a lot today. Adam glanced down at her ankles which were starting to swell. “You need to rest.”   
“Not until we finish-“ Kim sucked in a sharp breath.  
“Baby?” Adam hit the breaks and turned to see Kim holding her stomach with both hands. “What’s wrong?”   
“Braxton Hicks. I just need to drink more water.” Kim let out a slow breath, the sudden tightness was over.   
“I don’t like that you’re on this case. It’s making me nervous, and now you’re dehydrated.” Adam started driving again, slower this time.   
“I’m not dehydrated.” Kim reassured him. “I’m just going to stop in our house for a little extra water.” She thought about how nice the couch would feel right now. “Maybe sit down for five minutes.”   
“Fifteen by the look of your feet.” Adam shot back.   
Kim’s mouth dropped open, then she quickly realized he was joking.  
“Very funny.”

Kim’s five minute break turned into almost an hour, but not on purpose. She nodded off on the couch and jolted awake when Adam came through the front door.   
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were sleeping.” Adam sat down next to her and put an arm around her. She leaned onto his shoulder and yawned. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”   
“I just got worried so I wanted to check on you.” Adam kissed her forehead. “And you.” He added, rubbing her stomach. “No more contractions?”   
“No.” Kim shook her head. “And they’re not real contractions so they don’t count.”   
“They didn’t find any signs of bruising or assault on Allison. No sexual assault either.” Adam filled her in. “I was going to head down to the front since I haven’t heard from Tucker yet. Do you want to come with me?”   
“Of course.” Kim stood up to leave, then sighed. “After I pee. Again.”   
Adam sent her a sympathetic glance. “I’ll be waiting right here.” 

June was still standing at the front desk. She immediately caught Kim’s eye when she entered the lobby.  
June kept glancing down at something on the desk, just like earlier.   
“Is there something you can tell us?” Kim got close to the desk and leaned in towards her.  
June bit her lip and nodded her head. Adam leaned over the desk to see what June kept glancing down at. A large stack of 100 dollar bills.   
Kim’s first thought was that someone paid June to kill Allison.   
“This is your money?” Kim asked, trying to confirm her suspicions. She saw Adam reaching for his handcuffs.   
“It’s supposed to be my hush money. I don’t want it.” June started to tear up.   
Okay, she definitely wasn’t the killer. Adam moved his hands away from the cuffs.   
“For Allison’s murder?” He asked. They were trying not to press too hard and overwhelm the poor girl who was clearly terrified.   
June nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I tried but-“  
“You were scared. It’s okay.” Kim reassured her. She silently cursed herself for not paying more attention to June trying to throw them hints earlier.   
“Who is the money from, June?” Adam asked. 

“Going somewhere, Tucker?” Adam stepped out of a patrol car onto Tucker’s driveway.   
Tucker tried to keep calm, but he couldn’t hide the panic in his eyes. He shut his car’s trunk where he had just loaded a large suitcase. “I have a vacation planned.” He replied.   
“Drop the keys.” Adam kept cool, knowing it was two against one. Kim couldn’t exactly run after him or tackle him, but she had her taser ready.   
Tucker looked like he wanted to run, but he decided against it. He dropped his keys, surrendering.  
“Tucker Scott, you’re under the arrest for the murder of Allison Moore.” 

At the Florida police station, Kim and Adam sat in an interrogation room with Tucker across from them.  
They showed him security footage from the resort that an IT guy was able to recover. He was shown driving a golf cart down to Allison and Rex’s beach house just minutes after Rex left to go fishing.   
“I went down there to help her with maintenance.” Tucker argued.   
They fast forwarded through the video and Tucker was seen leaving about 10 minutes after Allison’s time of death.   
“Maintenance, huh? What was broken?”  
“The-the-“ Tucker stuttered. “The-“  
“Give it up.” Adam interrupted him.   
“Why did you do this, Tucker? Why Allison? Didn’t you call her your friend?” Kim didn’t waste any time getting to the questions. Rex needed answers.   
“She wasn’t just my friend.” Tucker snapped, suddenly appearing angry. He sent Kim a glare. “I loved her. And she loved me.”   
Kim leaned back in her seat and let him continue.   
“For years she said she would leave Rex. We would sleep together, she promised she would leave him, then the next day she said she was sorry but she couldn’t do it. Rinse and repeat.” Tucker continued, wringing his hands together as he spoke. “Last night she broke things off with me for good. But this morning she called me after Rex left to go fishing. She was crying, saying she missed me already. So I went down there. We had sex, I asked if she would leave her husband and she said no. So I-“  
“Killed her?” Adam finished the sentence for him  
“Not at first.” Tucker snapped again. “We argued, but she wouldn’t budge. I was about to leave, but I was so angry. I thought if I can’t have her no one else can. So then I killed her.”

Kim knocked on her neighbor’s door. “Rex? Chicago-Florida-“ Kim stuttered. “Police are here.”   
Rex opened the door quickly, his face pale. “Did you find them?” He asked.  
Adam nodded and gestured for him to sit down.   
“Tucker is in custody.”   
“Tucker?” Rex slowly fell back into a seat.   
“But-but why? Why him?”   
“We-“  
“We don’t know.” Kim interrupted Adam. The poor man was already heartbroken. There was no need to break his heart more by telling him his wife had been having an affair.   
“I’m sorry.” Adam took the hint and didn’t go into detail. He made sure Kim took a seat on the couch before he did.   
He took a few minutes to take some deep breaths and try to keep himself from falling apart.   
“We married in our early 20’s and tried to start a family right away.” Tucker finally spoke, choking back tears. “Allison...She had five miscarriages in a row.”   
Kim instinctively placed a hand on her stomach. She couldn’t even imagine the pain they had went through. She was close to losing their pregnancy a while ago but thank God the baby was still safe inside of her.   
“Ever since then the arguing has been non stop.” Tucker continued his story. “It’s like all of the losses broke us and we couldn’t communicate anymore.”   
Kim and Adam nodded, giving him time to speak.   
“I always say a quick prayer every time I see a woman carrying a child. Just to ask God to keep them and their baby safe.” Rex glanced at Kim. “When I saw that you were expecting, you two just looked so happy together and-and I-“ Rex’s voice cracked and he swallowed hard. “You reminded me of us when we were younger.”   
“We’re so sorry about your wife.” Kim apologized, leaning over to place a hand on top of Rex’s.   
“I’m so thankful you two were here to bring her justice.”  
Rex wished them good luck with the baby and told them to enjoy the rest of their vacation. He was heading home to be with his family.

“So much for no work and no interruptions.” Adam helped Kim into the golf cart. “Sorry, baby. You were great though.”   
“What if that happens to us?” Kim blurted out.   
Adam pulled his sunglasses off and turned to face Kim with a strange look.  
“Not me cheating on you, I mean the arguing thing.” Kim explained.   
“They argued about everything because something terrible that happened to them should have brought them closer but it pulled them apart instead. What if that had happened to us? If we lost-“ Kim stopped talking, taking a minute to put a hand over her stomach and be thankful for the life growing inside of her.   
“Baby, don’t think like that. We wouldn’t have let that happen.” Adam placed his hand over hers.   
“I just can’t help it. What if-“  
“No. No what if’s.” Adam stopped her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “There are a million what if’s we could ask ourselves but all that matters is right now.”   
“You’re right.” Kim sighed. “I worry too much.”   
“You worry the perfect amount.” Adam gave her a little smile. “You’ll be the best mom to our baby.” 

Kim and Adam were eating dinner on the beach watching as the sun started to go down. They had been so busy all day that they hadn’t had a full meal and Kim was more than making up for it. Two rounds of appetizers and halfway through the entree she had already ordered dessert. 

After dessert, the weather was still comfortably warm so they decided to stay on the beach for a while longer. They found a large hammock to lay in. Getting in the hammock was a bit awkward being 30 weeks pregnant, but getting out was a whole different story. Adam got out to give Voight a call and give him a run down of the case since he had been on the field all day and just now had a free minute.   
Kim decided she wanted to walk across the sand with her feet in the water until Adam finished his phone call. First, she tried to sit up so she could swing her legs over the side of the hammock. Sitting up was impossible while she was sunken into the middle of a hammock and her stomach was in the way. Then she realized the hammock was so big that her legs wouldn’t swing over the side unless she was all the way to the edge. Next, she tried to roll to one side, but her stomach was still in the way. She tried to grab onto one side of the hammock and scoot herself closer to the edge, but she was so sunken into the hammock that pulling and scooting didn’t work either. She was getting so frustrated she considered flipping the hammock over, but then she would land face down.  
“Baby?” Adam came jogging over. “Hold on, I got you.”  
Adam easily lifted Kim out of the hammock and set her on her feet. He tried to hide the look of amusement on his face but he didn’t do a very good job.   
“I’m pregnant, okay?” Kim huffed.  
“It was cute.” Adam teased her. “I shouldn’t have left you alone in there without thinking about how you would get out.”   
They started their walk down to the ocean. Suddenly, Kim stopped walking and bent over, clutching her stomach, sucking in a breath.   
“What is it?” Adam knelt down next to her, placing a hand on her bump. “What’s wrong?”   
“Braxton-“ Kim clenched her teeth, pausing to take a breath. “Hicks.”   
“Are they supposed to be that painful?” Adam didn’t seem convinced.   
“It’s over.” Kim stood up and let out a slow breath.   
“That seemed like the real thing.” Adam protested.  
“It wasn’t.” Kim promised him. “No big deal.” 

The next 2 days of their vacation were spent contraction-free, thankfully. They ate all of their meals on the beach, and watched the sun set every night.   
On their last night, they were sharing a dessert platter, watching the waves crash into the shore. The moon had been up for hours but they weren’t tired yet. They wanted to savor their last night of vacation.   
Kim looked over at Adam and couldn’t believe that she was really here. He was so tan now, which somehow made him more attractive than he already was. After all they had been through, they finally found their way back together, and they were having a baby. Adam had always been amazing, but since she’d been pregnant he had really proven how much he loved her. He was gentle, protective, and he made her so happy.

Adam noticed Kim looking at him out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look at her, she pretended like she had been looking out at the water the whole time. She was so beautiful, growing their baby, glowing all the time now. He knew she was going to the best mom. She was so loving, hard working, and not to mention the strongest woman he had ever known. He promised himself right then and there that he was going to marry her. 

“Hey.” Adam broke their silence.  
“Hmm?” Kim turned to him.  
“I love you.” Adam smiled softly at her.   
“I love you more.”


End file.
